How to help the Sandy Hook community

Updated 5:56 pm, Monday, December 31, 2012

Newtown Youth & Family Services is at 15 Berkshire Road in Sandy Hook. The office can be reached at (203) 426-8103. A 24-hour hotline is also available -- (203) 327-KIDS (5437).

Newtown Alumni Relief Fund

Residents and former residents have formed the Newtown Alumni Fund to provide relief for the families affected by the Sandy Hook shooting. Donations will be administered and distributed through the Newtown Rotary Club, with no administrative costs or fees.

All donations will go directly to the community. A donor has offered to match the first $2,000 in donations.

In lieu of "The Little Mermaid, Jr." performances on Saturday & Sunday, Jan. 19 & 20, The Ridgefield Playhouse will hold Hope and Healing concerts as a benefit for families of the survivors and first responders in the Sandy Hook tragedy. Celebrities, including guitarist Johnny Winter, will perform. As more details become available, they will be posted on the playhouse website at ridgefieldplayhouse.org.

Kiwanis donations

Members of The Greater Danbury Kiwanis are accepting donations to help meet the medium- and long-term needs of the children of Sandy Hook Elementary.

The groups have designated w.healingnewtown.org as a resource to offer ideas and fundraising information. For more information contact Lisa Scails, executive director of the Cultural Alliance of Western Connecticut, at (203) 300-2607 or info@HealingNewtown.org

How to volunteer in Newtown

Two types of volunteers are needed to help handle the outpouring of support in Newtown.The United Way of Western Connecticut has established a call center to help the town manage an overwhelming response from people around the world.

The center is looking for volunteers to help cover two-hour shifts between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. for 30 days.

Also, volunteers are needed to help at the warehouse with the management of donated goods.For information on volunteering at the Call Center, visit this link